First Time Purchaser Help

[Sam]

Am I taking your response out of context or are you saying I should really get over it and it’s no big deal that I went above and beyond for a potential customer and got stood up?  If so, tell me this; put yourself in my shoes or any other dealer, how many times can you be stood up before you implement a refundable deposit policy or some kind of reassurance?

Yep, pretty much.  Your business though, so your call.

FYI  I'm self employed too and I know about being stood up so not without experience on that.

Stood up as in the person not showing is not the issue here. THAT happens all the time in this business as we all know and as you have experienced.

What you haven't experienced is being stood up for a wet test that can be a whole nother matter if it involves moving spas around, filling them, wiring them up and maybe even moving them back later. That does not compare to someone simply not showing up for an appointment.

Don't forget that you also create another spa that has been a "wet floor model" which means the filters need to be changed to sell, the cover has probably been opened and exposed to the minor nicks and scratches that will inevitably happen even just being in the warehouse out of box.  Most honest dealers will be upfront about that which negatively impacts sale price.  Also, when you drain it, you have to actually take the extra steps to remove all of the water from the plumbing or risk stagnant yuck infecting the ultimate purchaser's initial fill.  The pre-sale detailing process is a bit more involved when a spa has been filled.  You may need to drill a knockout to run the wire that the end purchaser may not want.  You pay to heat that water up initially and the chemical treatment, but dump it all the next day.  There are a lot of little expenses that add up to being pretty significant in the end. 

I'm not necessarily justifying charging a refundable deposit to wet test, but I do agree that it's a bit more complicated and costly than just sticking a hose in a spa.  I personally look at it as a way to show potential clients that I'm willing to earn their business.  It truly is a pain in the ass and if they bail on you it's maddening.  But in the end, I want to be the best in town and I look at this as an opportunity to set myself apart from my competitors. 

One time, I had a lady insist on wet testing a model that we would never normally have filled.  We didn't hesitate to do it and drained it the next day.  I worked with her for many months and she was diligent in her research.  A couple of months later she asked if she could test that same model again in order to have a back to back comparison to her other top candidate.  I initially thought it was a bit ridiculous but I filled it again with a smile on my face.  It was a major hassle and was super annoying but guess what?  That lady has since referred two other people to me which resulted in sales.  So now I try think about these things as not just a potential sale, but numerous potential sales. 

By the way, I'm also not trying to chastise anyone who chooses to do the deposit thing.  I totally get it, but as we've seen with the feedback from consumers here, they don't care about any of that.  From their perspective if we aren't willing to put a little effort into asking them to pony up $10k, what will our after sale support be like?  It's a valid concern, though there isn't necessarily a correlation between the two.  I guess I'm saying that I see both sides of the coin but in the end, only one opinion really matters at the end of the day and that's the person writing the check.

[Michael Russell]

When I first read about a deposit.. I was a little taken back by the concept.. Hearing your approach makes me second guess my opinion.. Done in the right way and explained I guess I would have no problem.

Mike

This thread has spun out of control.  It's a good eye opener I suppose.

I'm nothing if not negotiable and teachable.

For the record, we've had this policy in place for many, many years.  We've made plenty of exceptions for people who didn't like it.  I would make the case that I have never, ever had anyone think the policy was foolish and cost me business.  It's also not like we present it in a hostile way.  I just politely tell them what we require, and we will set up anything they want. 

No issues especially in this recent year (my memory can't go back ridiculously far) have remotely popped up.

I'll continue to watch it, but it hasn't been on my radar as a serious issue until now... and we get at least 4-5 test soakers a week... maybe more.  However, the vast majority are okay with trying out what I have wet already.  Like my Envoy NXT or Grandee NXT

[kies1]

When we were initially pricing hot tubs one dealer told me I needed to leave a deposit to hold a price quote, really. That did turn me off as a consumer and we ended up buying else where. Quote there was given and only a deposit was given when tub was ordered.

[bachman]

Thanks everyone - moving back toward the tub discussion (and away from wet test policies), we have a wet test this AM for the Kingston.

The Aspen is also on the floor but it’s unclear as to whether that will be filled or not. And to be fair, we’d prpbably try the Claremont over the Aspen due to the nicer cabinet and the “sun deck” or whatever that part is called.

Fingers crossed for the Kingston. On paper, it’s currently our top pick.

Will check back in to post our findings later on.

PS - really impressed that everyone took what was a controversial discussion and handled it like adults. I’m a member of some other forums focusing on completely different topics and discussions like the above can commonly go south and get personal. Cool to see that people here are mature enough to agree to disagree.

Good luck with the search and tests.
I see a lot of intelligent prep work and research mentioned by almost everyone as they shop and consider the options for hot tubs. We are all case by case situations with our wants, expectations, stores and brands that differ in many ways or local availability. It's good to share the information as shoppers go through the process since we can all pick up some insights and it doesn't have to be 100% One size Fits All.
Everything I've learned so far makes me feel comfortable with the tub we put in place 2 months ago and mostly, the how-to for set up and minimal maintenance and chemistry. That's all thanks to the many resources and people here. 


~ b

[aug0211]

Another good experience yesterday while wet testing Also confirmed that our dealer is on here, which we had thought might be the case 👍🏼

Kingston was great. Very nice tub. Definitely a more modern cabinet and the layout was nice. Entry is so smooth - with the sun deck (sorry, I forgot the actual name), it’s great. The glass panel is noticeably better to control than the dated alternatives. Stil not up to the Hot Spring remote, but it’s better than the alternatives.

Optima jets are probably the best so far; the Kingston was a bit underpowered and it was a major bummer realizing that 2 of the main seats have to shut down to have the foot dome on. Jacuzzi’s 400 series also has great jets, we were able to confirm that again. A third pump in the Kingston might be a good addition from Sundance.

Kingston was a bit shallow and the seats were not as sculpted as I’d like. We did not have float issues, but we did not feel “hugged” or like we were totally letting go to relax. The Aspen looks much better in this regard - a dry test showed much deeper seats (could actually use the leg jets, in the Kingston I couldn’t get them to hit my calves because my knees were bent at such a sharp angle due to the shallow floor). The Aspen is also significantly more sculpted in terms of seats, compared to the Kingston. Ultimately, I feel like Sundance would have a clear “leader of the pack” if they’d combine the top features of the Aspen (3 pumps, depth, sculpted seats, entry/exit handles, whirlpool jets) and Kingston (topside panel, lighting, cabinet, sun deck).

We do definitely like the Kingston and are keeping it on the list. It’s a bummer that the functional aspects of Aspen seem so great but the ambience features (cabinet, lights, topside controls) are a bit behind - because that would have otherwise been a great option.

The 500 series from Jacuzzi is also still on the list. We like the 400 series and wife really loves the ambience Jacuzzi creates (lets be honest, I totally agree). We’re a bit concerned that the 500 series may not be as sculpted inside compared to the 400 series... and no wet test is a concern of course.

We are also going to wet test the Hot Spring Envoy, sounds like that will be next weekend. A bit nervous about Hot Spring’s “flat” interiors and not being very sculpted; and we’re also not totally sold on the lounger in the Envoy, but we really want to give Hot Spring one more chance (remember, the Grandee fell down for us with float issues).

We’re also thinking we’ll bite the bullet and make the trip to see a D1 dealer. The loungers in their Bay collection tubs are differentiators and might work for us. Their tubs also look to be very sculpted (including cove-like cutouts in some of the seats, like what the J-400 series have, which we liked). They of course have all the bells and whistles, too. D1 Amore Bay. Sarena Bag, Lotus Bay, and their Executive are all interesting. The closest dealer has two stores and offered to drive us back and forth between the two locations once we get out there (a bit of a drive for us to get there...) so that we can test the tubs - nice touch from that dealer.

One last note - in terms of service and professionalism, the Sundance/Jacuzzi dealer (hi!) has done a great job of being patient with us and accommodating requests. My father is a small business owner and has been in sales his entire life, so I grew up around the sales industry and have a deep appreciation for quality service and for professionals who go above and beyond. I have a high level of confidence in ongoing support and service with the local Sundance/Jacuzzi dealer, which is an absolute factor in the decision.